More Visibility for Diversity? A Systematic Review of LGBTQ+ Representation in Educational Psychology Journals

Students identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or otherwise non-heterosexual or non-cisgender (LGBTQ+) are increasingly represented. However, they still face additional challenges in educational settings, so Educational Psychology needs to research these issues. In this preregistered systematic scientometric literature review, we investigate (a) the extent of LGBTQ+ centered research in Educational Psychology journals, (b) common themes and trends, and discuss systematic gaps for future research. After searching all 41,992 articles on ERIC, published in the most impactful (Q1 and Q2) Educational Psychology journals, we combined scientometric-quantitative and qualitative methods to review 68 eligible articles. We found a surge in publications from 2000 onward, driven by special issues. For almost half of these high-impact journals, we found no published articles on LGBTQ+ issues on ERIC; most publish only a few per thousand, even though this topic falls within their scope. Most often, these articles were empirical, correlational, and US-based, with inconsistent measures of LGBTQ+ identities. Through qualitative thematic analysis, we identified seven research themes and highlighted pertinent research gaps. To strengthen the evidence base in the field, future research should conduct rigorous longitudinal and intervention studies with culturally diverse samples and adhere to open science standards.